TIVVY ARCHIVE

Gosport Borough 3 - 2 Tiverton Town

Coming off the back of a disappointing FA Cup exit, and with just one league victory so far this season, Tiverton will have known that the current level of performance was shy of what is required, and that they would need to improve significantly in order to get anything out of the visit to Gosport Borough. Craig Woodman returned to the starting line-up after an enforced injury lay-off, with the only other change seeing Nelson Iseguan replace Jordan Lam in midfield. There was, of course, also a significant change in the dugout, with Martyn Rogers reassuming his role of co-manager.

A fluctuating match started well enough for the white-suited Yellows, and Olaf Koszela had a couple of chances inside the opening ten minutes, the first saved by Gosport goalkeeper Albert White, and the second just a little off target. At the other end Lewis Williams took a blow to the head when diving at the feet of Rory Williams, sparking a melee that saw the Boro forward cautioned. And then it was Tivvy back on the offensive, as Iseguan beat his man but could only shoot lamely at White. But that miss didn’t prove too costly, as just a few minutes later Town edged into a deserved lead, Iseguan the architect and Matt Wright the scorer after he had rounded the keeper.

Tiverton pressed on, Koszela sliced a shot wide, Iseguan hit one over, and then Joe Belsten came within a whisker of doubling the visitors’ advantage, only to miss the target by the slimmest of margins. White brilliantly saved a Dan Hayfield free kick, and just before the break Austen Booth nodded over from a Hayfield corner. Tivvy led at the interval, but the cushion could and perhaps should have been rather more comfortable. They would live to regret the missed opportunities as Gosport pulled themselves together after the change of ends.

Joe Lea was the first to carve an opening for the home side, but having taken the ball around Williams he was only able to find the side netting on the wrong side of the post. Unperturbed, Gosport drew level with a fine strike from Theo Widdrington in 56 minutes, and this goal cemented Boro’s belief that the game was very much there for the taking. Although Iseguan should have put Tivvy back in front, it was perhaps a fair reflection on the general balance of play since the break that the next goal should go to the hosts. This time it came from the penalty spot, once more via the boot of Widdrington, after Williams was adjudged to have tripped Lea.

Despite Tiverton rallying, and once again taking the initiative, it was Gosport who effectively sealed the points three minutes from the end of the regulation time. Dan Wooden’s low drive beat Williams, and meant that he has scored in the first and also the most recent meeting between the teams, more than ten years apart. Theo Simpson grabbed his first goal for Tiverton in added time with a fine shot from the edge of the area, and Town very nearly went on to grab an equaliser, only for Kyle Egan to be denied, frustratingly and accidentally, as his shot hit Koszela when it was destined for the net.

Gosport Borough: Albert White, Harvey Rew, Ryan Woodford, Luke Hallett, Matthew Briggs, Harlain Mbayo (Theo Lewis 60), Theo Widdrington (Patrick Suraci 88), Dan Wooden, Joe Lea, Rory Williams, Sirigiu Dembele (Brad Tarbuck 60)
Goals: Widdrington 56, 73p, Wooden 87
Booked: Williams, Woodford
Sent off: None

Tiverton Town: Lewis Williams, Joe Belsten (Kyle Egan 90), Craig Woodman, Aaron Dawson, Gary Warren, Austen Booth, Louis Morrison, Dan Hayfield (Alex Moyse 46), Matt Wright, Olaf Koszela, Nelson Iseguan (Theo Simpson 85)
Goals: Wright 23, Simpson 90+2
Booked: Warren
Sent off: None

Attendance: 453